Making Connections: Denise Kuriger Design
By Sarah Langley
From the opposite sides of the globe, Block’s Tanya Sim and New York-based interior designer Denise Kuriger continue a decades-long connection that transcends geographical distance.
DENISE KURIGER LOVES New York. Having lived and worked in the Big Apple for most of her life, she remains captivated by the city—its sense of connection, the potential for endless discovery and being part of a community. It’s also where she bases her eponymous design firm, which specialises in luxurious interiors for private residences and beachfront homes across the U.S.
New York is not the only constant in Denise’s life. Throughout her career, she has built enduring relationships that have provided invaluable support, ranging from former colleagues to a network of trusted advisors. One such connection is Block’s Tanya Sim, who first met Denise in the 1990s when they worked for Naomi Leff, a respected figure in interior design who was known for creating spaces for celebrities and retailers like Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani and Helena Rubinstein.
After their time at Naomi Leff, Tanya and Denise’s paths diverged: Tanya co-founded branding and creative agency Block with Mark Braddock in 2002 and moved home to Perth, while Denise stayed in New York continuing to work in interior design before founding her practice in 2005. The pair have kept in touch and recently come full circle to work on Denise Kuriger Design’s rebrand ahead of the firm’s 20th anniversary this year.
Over Zoom, Tanya and Denise speak about their formative experiences, about taking the leap and starting their own businesses, and the uncertainty in the world, particularly in light of the recent Los Angeles wildfires.
Time stamp: 8.00 am Perth / 7.00 pm New York
Tanya Sim: So you just finished your day. How are you?
Denise Kuriger: Everything’s fine. I mean, it's all not fine. You know how generally in life, one thing’s going well and then the other thing's not going well. It just feels like right now every time you look up, you either think about what’s going on in the world, or you think about the fires and the impact of that.
TS: Is your apartment in Malibu OK?
DK: No, the building is standing, but it suffered a lot of exterior damage. There's still no gas, heat, electricity or water and there’s a lot of smoke damage. I was there last week and I moved out what I could. But, you know, there’s so many people who have far worse stories. There’s a lot of rich and famous people who lost their second homes, but a majority of them were not that, so it's really overwhelming. There are 12,000 structures destroyed, so we have massive losses.
TS: I think on this scale, it’s one thing to lose everything, but then there’s also the aftermath, like where all the rubble actually goes?
DK: That's one of the biggest problems they’re having now. So, for example, in my apartment, I threw away, say, 70 per cent of what was there, but I couldn't actually take it any place. But the bigger problem is the immense amount of toxicity that has been melted into the earth and the groundwater.
TS: What is the impact on your business?
DK: We lost one project, which burnt to the ground. It was a decorating project for a high-profile client. We were helping him and his wife furnish a couple of rooms. It was an original 1939 Paul Williams, a beautiful, beautiful house. I was excited about it because it was so delicious to be around that piece of architecture.
I think a lot of people are moving away from the West Coast to the East Coast to Connecticut and Bedford, where they don’t need to worry about fires. They're still in a metropolitan area, but they can get across the country in five hours if they need to.
TS: From a design perspective, how do you think people are going to approach rebuilding their homes?
DK: I think people are going to look to design houses that can’t burn. Clients are asking everyone to take another look to make sure … it’s called “house hardening”. So I think the way design is going to be influenced is that it's going to be very material based … no one’s building a wooden house in the Palisades.
TS: Thinking back to the nineties when we were at [New York interior design firm] Naomi Leff, it was an intense time and designers seemed to stick together in a funny sort of way. It’s amazing how a lot of us who worked so closely together really got to know each other have stayed in contact.
DK: It was like a PhD, being in the labs all night, sort of bonding. Everyone had to prove themselves to each other and to Naomi. It gave us a lot of experience.
TS: It was like this hot house. Everyone got on well together, but it was also every man for himself in a way. When I started, I had no experience as an interior designer, and I don't know how I got the interview, but after only two weeks I was working on the first-class lounges for United Airlines at the LAX Airport. What was your position at the time?
DK: I was the head of the design department. I wasn't hired into that role, but Naomi liked me and trusted my perspective and intuition. She'd sometimes come to the office in a bad mood, and I would cancel all her appointments and just sit with her. It was a lot at a young age, but it was also fun. I certainly received her wrath at times, but for the most part, she was really good to me.
TS: So, in terms of what we went on to do after Naomi, I left because Mark was offered a job in Richmond, Virginia, and that was pretty difficult because it was not good timing for the project I was working on.
DK: I didn’t make it easy for you. I was like, ‘I don’t think you should go, I think you should finish this project you’ve worked so hard on[the first class lounges for United Airlines].’ I don't know if I would still give somebody that advice now, but I remember trying really hard to get you to stay.
TS: You were definitely in a senior position … I can’t remember if I was intimidated by you or not! Tell me about when you left?
DK: I remember thinking I had to make a change. I was setting up for a meeting one day and she [Naomi Leff] called and had totally switched the plan and was just not being very nice. I remember thinking, ‘Oh, okay, I’m done.’ I went to my desk and called a recruiter who got me an interview with [AD100 designer] Victoria Hagan. I only went to one interview, and two days later I got the job.
TS: After spending some time at Victoria Hagan, what made you decide to set up your own business?
DK: It just sort of happened. I had maxed out my opportunities with Victoria, and it was right when Naomi died [in 2005], because people were reaching out to see if I wanted to take on some projects. So I started a business. My sister who’s a business major was like, ‘What's your business plan?’ I’m like, ‘My plan is to start a business.’ I just worked out of my apartment and, you know, did what I could do and it grew from there.
TS: What were some of the challenges you faced in the early days of your business?
DK: There was a lot of naivety … I was just putting one foot in front of the other. And sometimes that's really good, because if you knew everything, you’d think, ‘Oh, no, I’m not going to do that.’ I met a coach who I started working with about three years in and she was really helpful … she’s still my coach and continues to be a really important resource for me, who I can talk to about the big and small picture … she knows me quite well. Whenever I feel alone in business, I have to recognise that I'm not. I’ve had the same law firm represent me since day one. I've had the same accountant since day one … there’s a lot of stability in my life.
TS: At Block, we say the best relationship we can have with our clients is when we're the trusted advisor. When you decided to rebrand Denise Kuriger Design, what made you want to work with Block rather than someone closer to home?
DK: I knew I needed to rebrand and I started talking to Patty, my coach, and I was like, ‘How do I find someone?’ Not that it's the same, but I've had some bad experiences in the PR space and I just didn't feel like I could really trust anybody. I felt like, you know, ‘Mark and Tanya would know me well enough to be able to help me.’ I was already halfway there in terms of not having to start from the beginning and explain myself to a team trying to understand the essence of me and my business, which are sort of the same thing.
TS: Was it challenging working with us being in another country and not in your orbit?
DK: I don’t think so. There were probably some stumbling blocks in terms of the logistics, but nothing that wasn’t worth it for the end product. I also think having a foreign perspective was helpful. It was a comprehensive process with a lot of layers we went through to get to the final outcome, which I am really happy with.
TS: A successful project for us is one where we can express something that is already you, and then you can make it your own.
DK: That’s why when it came up to this big announcement I wanted to make, an acknowledgement of the 20th year [of Denise Kuriger Design], around Valentine’s Day, which is always this time in my life when big changes happen [Denise calls it ‘the heart of her life’], I wanted it to be really personal but I knew it needed the rigour that Block brings.
TS: You’re one of the few New Yorkers still in New York. How do you think being so embedded in the city has affected your work?
DK: I think about how lucky I am … I just love it here. I moved offices the other day, so I’m now in eastern Tribeca. I said, “I’m going to go walk for an hour,” and I found this great store with a bunch of pieces that are going to be really important for a project. It’s just so easy to do everything.
TS: Circling back to where we started, how does the year ahead look for you with all the uncertainty?
DK: Right now, we’re into a lot of production for the projects we’re working on. I’m going to Amsterdam for the first time and then to Paris, so if it wasn’t for the challenges we are facing, I would have a great year ahead of me. I’m going to be doing a lot of design work, a lot of sourcing, so my year ahead is sort of fun from a creative design perspective.
Footnotes on Block
Find out more about Denise Kuriger Design at dkdltd.com.
